·4 min read
Why I reach for Hono over Express
Express shaped a generation of Node APIs. Here's why my new backends start with Hono instead, and the three places it actually changes how I build.
Notes from the build.
Stack calls, dead ends, and the reasoning behind both. No hot takes I haven't shipped behind.
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TypeScript or nothing
One language from the phone to the database. Here's why every project I take on is TypeScript end to end, and why I stopped apologising for it.
·5 min read
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·6 min read
Next.js or TanStack Start
Two React full-stack frameworks, one decision. Here's how I actually choose between Next.js and TanStack Start, and the projects where each one wins.
·6 min read
One codebase, both app stores
One Expo codebase ships to iOS and Android without a Mac maze or two separate builds. Here's the pipeline I use, and the one feature that lets me fix a bug without waiting on Apple.
·6 min read
One repo, every app
Web, mobile, API, and shared packages in a single monorepo. Here's how I run it with Turborepo, and why one repo beats a folder full of them.
·4 min read
Build for the buyer, not just the user
Most software gets designed for the person clicking the buttons. The person signing the cheque is watching a different scoreboard. Here's how to build for both.
·7 min read
AI that ships, not AI that demos
Every founder wants AI in the product. Most AI features are demos that die in a sprint. Here's how I build the kind that survives contact with real users.
·10 min read
Build the web app like an appliance
Offline-first PWA architecture, from the service worker outward. Why you design for the network dropping instead of the network being slow, and the caching, cache-warming, and background-sync patterns that make a web app behave like a native one.
·6 min read
Design systems that earn their keep
A design system isn't a Figma flex. It's how you ship faster and look like one company instead of five. Here's how I build ones that pay for themselves.
·5 min read
React Server Components, explained like a kitchen
Server Components confuse people because the mental model is missing. Here's the one that finally makes the client/server split click, plus the rules that keep it clean.
·6 min read
Branding for people who hate branding
You don't need a 40-page brand book. You need to look like the company you're becoming. Here's the founder's version of branding that actually moves numbers.
·6 min read
Traffic that turns into pipeline
Impressions feel great and pay nothing. Here's how I think about growth for founders, where the only number that counts is revenue you can trace back to the work.